Brick-cleaning machine



(No Model.)

S. A. PRESCOTT. BRICK CLEANING MACHINE.

Patented Apr. 5, 1898.

vuznonms PEYERS ca, Pumnumm WASHINGYDN, n, c.

consists of a rotary wheel mounted upon a .3

UNITED STATES PA'IENT OFF CE.

SAMUEL A. PRESCOTT, OF WILKINSONVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS.

BRICK-CLEANING MACHIN E.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 601,676, dated April 5, 1898. Application filed February 2,1897. Serial No. 621,6 42. (No modeL) i To allwhom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, SAMUEL A. PRESCOTT, of Wilkinsonville, in the county of Worcester and State of Massachusetts, have invent: ed certain new and useful Improvements in Brick-Cleaning Machines; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which Figure 1 represents aside view of my said improved brick-cleaning machine. Fig. 2 is an end view thereof, looking in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a top or plan view. Fig. 4 is a transverse section, upon an enlarged scale, taken at the point indicated by line a a in Fig. 3, all the following figures also being upon the same enlarged scale.-

Fig. 5 is a side view of part of the wheel against which the surfaces of the bricks are pressed to clean the old mortar therefrom, as will be hereinafter more fully explained. Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section of one end of the machine, taken on line b, Fig. 3; and Fig. 7 shows a modification in the construction, which will also be hereinafter described.

My invention relates to power-machines for cleaning the mortar from old bricks; and it suitable shaft and supporting-frame and having means for applyingmotive power to drive the same, also having a suitable case or covering with openings for the insertion of the bricks to be cleaned and for the discharge of the mortar removed therefrom, said wheel also being provided, preferably upon both sides, from its periphery for quite a distance in toward its axis, with 'laterallyprojecting spurs or pins arranged at a short distance apart, against which the bricks are pressed to remove the mortar therefrom, as will be hereinafter more fullyjset forth.

In order that others may betterunderstand the nature and purpose of my invention, I will now proceedto describe it more in detail.

In the drawings, A represents the supporting-framework, and B the rotary scrapingwheel, of the machine. Said wheel is arranged longitudinally, being'mounted on a horizontal transverse shaft O,'fitted to turn in suitable bearings A A on frame A and having mounted thereon tight and loose pulleys A A which may be connected by a belt ranged at a short distanceapart and rigidly fastened in the same, in this instancethe body B of the wheel being made of .wood and said pins driven therein. It. is also in this instance provided with metal hub-plates B B and with a metal rim ]3 to hold the various wooden sections thereof in place, as is shown in the drawings. The pins B are designed to extend practically or nearly over the whole surface of each side of the wheel, from the rim to the hub thereof, as is shown in Figs. 4 and 5 of the drawings.

The wheel is inclosed within a suitable casing D, having an opening D at each I side above frame A for the insertion of the bricks to be cleaned, as hereinafter described, and also with an opening D underneath, through which the mortar removed from the bricks in the cleaning operation may be discharged, the lower portion of the casing being inclined downward toward said opening D as is shown in Figs. 1 and 2, to facilitate said discharging operation.

The casing D may be constructed in va- 8o rious ways. In thisinstance it consists of the bottom part 0 below thebed of frame A and rigidly fastened to said frame, the side plates cl (1, and top plate or'cover e above's'aid bed of the frame. Said top plate e forms a cap over the top edges of the-side plates and the space between them a'nd .is rigidly fastened at the ends to suitablebearings on frame A, while the side platesd d are so arranged and fastened that they may each be moved a short distance laterally to either side independent of each other, the purpose thereof being to permit of the adjustment of the said side plates toward the face of the pins on wheel B as said pins become worn away shorter by 5 use, the bricks during the cleaning operation being supportedona shelf or ledge f, formed on the side plates under their openings D, (see Figs. 1 and 3,) and therefore making said adjustment desirable in order to bring said support at the proper distance from the face of the scraping-pins insaid cleaning operation. In this instance said side plates 01 d are made adjustable, as aforesaid, by sup- V respectively, on frame A.

If desired, the side openings D maybe varied in size vertically by making. the openings in the side plates (1 (1 larger than would customarily be used and employing a removable plate or cover 10 at the top of each opening, as is shown in Fig. 1, which may be removed when bricks of unusual width are to be cleaned.

The essential features of my invention, as will be observed, are the scraping-wheel, its supports, means whereby it maybe turned and for inclosing said wheel, and as various ways of constructing the same may beadopted in practice to accomplish a like result I reserve the right to make such modifications therein as may be desirable and required by circumstances in constructing the machine.

To facilitate the operation of cleaning bricks, I prefer to make the machine double with an opening on each side and the wheel with scraping-pins on both sides, as hereinbefore described and shown, so that two men.

may work at the same time; but, if preferred,

it maybe made single to operate only from one side.

As will be observed by Fig. 5, that portion of wheel B to which the scraping-pins are secured is made of removable adjoining sections Z around said wheel, so that if any part of thescraping-surface becomes injuredor worn away it may be removed and new scraping-sections inserted in place thereof without necessitating the renewal of all the wheel.

In cleaning a brick it is inserted in one of the openings D, resting on its shelf f, and its mortar-covered surface pressed by the atten dant against-the face of the pins secured in the rapidly-rotating wheel B, thereby scraping said mortar from the brick in a perfect and expeditious manner, leaving the surface of thebrick practically as clean and smooth as when first made before being used. As each surface is thus cleaned'it is removed, turned,

, and another surface applied to the scrapingsurface until all the .sides are cleaned, the mortar removed in said operations passing down and out of the machine through the discharge-opening D onto the floor or ground or into a suitable receptacle (not shown) placed "beneath said opening.

As will at once be apparent, the operation of cleaning old bricks by my aforesaid improved power-machine may be performed not only in a very easy and expeditious manner, but

with perfect results, the bricks thus cleaned being, as previously stated, practically as good as new, to be used again in brick construction. By said operation the great loss by breakage attendant on the usual process of cleaning bricks by hand is entirely removed.

Although Iprefer to make the machine with the scraping-pins projecting from its sides,as

'hereinbefore described, the same may be applied to the periphery of said wheel, as is shown in Fig. 7, and thus used by a slight .modification in the construction of the ma- ,chine, witho'ut departing from the principle of my invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim therein as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is- I 1. A machine for cleaning old bricks, consisting of frame A, bearings A A secured thereto, horizontal transverse shaft 0 fitted to turn in said bearings and means for turning said shaft, in combination with wheel B mounted on said shaft, the pins'B projecting laterally from the sides of said wheel, andeasing D having openings D at the sides to admit the bricks to be cleaned, and an opening at the bottom through which the mortar scraped from the bricks may be discharged, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of frame A, bearings A A secured thereto, horizontal transverse shaft 0 fitted to turn in said bearings and means whereby said shaft may be turned, in combination with radial sections Bfi-a central disk to which they are fastened, the holding side plates 13 B and peripheral plate B the pins B projecting laterally from the sides of the wheel, and casing D having openings D at the sides to admit the bricks to be cleaned and an opening at the bottom through which the mortar scraped from the bricks may be discharged, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination of frame A, bearings A A secured thereto, horizontal transverse shaft 0 fitted to turn in said bearings and means whereby said shaft may be turned, in combination with wheel B composed of radial sections B a central disk to which they are fastened, the holding side plates B B and peripheral plate 13, the pins B projecting laterally from the sides of the wheel, casing D having openings D at the sides to admit the bricks to be cleaned and an opening underneath through which the mortar removed from the bricks may be discharged, and means for adjusting said casing consisting of suitable bearings secured to the stationary part 

